With the recent announcement that the head of Horace Mann will be leaving next June, a committee has been formed to begin an extensive search for a new leader capable of guiding the school through the beginning of the new millennium.

Dr. Eileen Mullady has served as head of the Horace Mann Upper School, Lower School, and Pre-school for the past nine years. Under her tenure, Mullady spearheaded several projects to improve the school and focus its academic mission.

These initiatives included: a multi-billion construction project to renovate Horace Mann's outdated buildings; greater involvement with the Riverdale community and a better articulated set of core values for students, including an honor code; an expansion of artistic opportunities, including a new theater; the placement of computers in every classroom complete and wiring the entire school for Internet access; and strengthening the school's infrastructure by bringing in new, qualified administrators.

A search committee consisting of 13 members of the school board along with the private education consultation firm, Wickenden Associates, has been charged with the task of finding a replacement for Mullady. To this end, the committee is currently deliberating over the necessary qualifications, talents, and experience required for the position, and is conferring with teachers, faculty, and members of the Horace Mann community.

What is clear at this point is that Mullady will be sorely missed. Far from fitting the stereotype of the stern, distant headmaster, Mullady maintains a warm, animated, and active involvement with the student body. In addition to her duties, Mullady teaches French and English at the school. Her personal life is also not a mystery to students: her two children attend Horace Mann, and her address--at 246th Street, across the street from the school--is known to all. Mullady has said that "she never locks the front door," and students are constantly going in and out of her home.

"She's a wonderful head of school who has done great things for Horace Mann," enthused recent graduate Rebecca Frank. "She cares about each individual student. At the beginning of last year, we had a moment where she would shake every student's hand. If she saw a senior in the hallway, she would go up and say she has to shake his hand . She made students feel as if they are vital to the school.

"I have never heard anything negative said about her," Frank added.

Mullady's life has always been guided by her commitment to young people and education. Before becoming head of school at Horace Mann, she served as the Dean of Faculty and Associate Headmaster at Lawrenceville High School. She was also the Associate Dean of Faculty at Princeton and the Assistant Vice President at Columbia University. Mullady claims that she prefers guiding teenagers at the secondary school level to that of young adults at the university.

"People were so surprised that I went from independent schools to college and then back," she has said. "To me, education until 18 is more interesting. I love the educational part of the job."
Still, the tremendous responsibility of leading Horace Mann has taken a toll on Mullady. When she took over the position in 1995, she stipulated that she would only be at the school for a decade. That would enable her to devote her full energy to the school before she had the chance to become burnt out, she maintained.

"Head of school is a big job," Mullady said. "I start at 7:00 AM and I try to end at 11:00 PM, but the job never really ends.

"[But] I have a life outside of school. I won't be bored. I'm going to figure out what I'll do next; I'll find something good for my family and me. Some people are scared when they don't know what is coming up ahead for them. I'm the opposite of that: I am excited at the prospect of change."

But for all her eagerness for the opportunities her new life will bring, Mullady is not shy about expressing how much she will miss the school.

"I will miss the entire community," she reflected.
"My house is full of wonderful memories. My kids grew up here, as well as all their friends.
"That will be hard to leave," she said.